There has always been a sense that unity would help our profession – to express our views with a single voice, so that the public and the legislature could fully comprehend our desire to serve in our own unique way, as our contribution to the greater good.
The problem was that everyone wanted the one voice to be their voice, and to move aside those who felt differently. Political forces across the spectrum, fundamentalists and progressives and everything in between wrestled to have their opinions be heard, and sadly, none really were, since the energy was too diffused to make much impact. Needless to say, that cannot work, and it didn’t – and that’s where the efforts stalled, with everyone feeling they had the right answer and no one willing to consider compromise and teamwork.
Until now.
For the first time ever, the chiropractic profession is unifying, in an unprecedented demonstration of solidarity. Over the last two and a half years, behind closed doors, the top influencers in the chiropractic profession – leaders of key organizations, colleges, publishers, vendors and consultants – have formed The Chiropractic Summit, an organization dedicated to unifying and advancing the chiropractic profession.
Leaders of the ACA, ICA , Association of Chiropractic Colleges, and the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations sit on a steering committee, whose purpose is to guide and oversee the coordinated work of over forty member groups, including almost all the major players in chiropractic.
In nine meetings over the last thirty months, the last of which was held in Kansas City at Cleveland Chiropractic College , tremendous progress has been made toward identifying the most important issues our profession faces, toward a strategic initiative to position chiropractic effectively in the marketplace. In fact, The Summit worked closely with legislators to sculpt the non-discrimination language in the new health care reform bill, which will ultimately prove to be pivotal in establishing professional parity, paving the way for us to help millions more people.
You will be hearing more and more about The Summit, as we are now ready to provide a form of leadership that both represents and transcends each organization, each of which is important in its own right. This is not designed to usurp anyone’s authority, but rather to offer an overseeing perspective that helps to enroll and engage all teammates who support chiropractic, and coordinate our efforts so our profession flourishes. The ultimate beneficiaries are the people in our communities, who will finally have chiropractic care available for them and their families.
For more information, and to see a listing of all the member organizations comprising the One Voice, please go to www.ChiroSummit.org.